INDIANAPOLIS -- The pieces have slowly been coming together for more than a year for the Indianapolis Colts.
The new general manager arrived in January 2017. The new head coach, the one who was the hottest candidate on the market the past few offseasons, was named on Tuesday. The Colts will even have the No. 3 pick in the April draft to try to speed up the process to get back to the playoffs.
But the biggest piece is still missing for the Colts.
Despite all the excitement surrounding Colts general manager Chris Ballard being able to land Josh McDaniels as his first coaching hire, the franchise’s success still hinges on the availability of quarterback Andrew Luck and his ability to stay healthy after he missed last season recovering from right shoulder surgery undergone nearly 13 months ago.
The Colts will go only as far as Luck will take them. There’s no other way to spin things. That’s why owner Jim Irsay made it a point to consistently talk about Luck’s importance on Jan. 1.
“I am telling you that I have no doubt in my mind that Andrew is going to come back,” Irsay said at the time. “And when I talk about the look in his eye, when I talk about the temperature of 107, of his fierceness, I am telling you that that kid is a special kid. Special. He was born to do great things in the National Football League, and he will do great things in the National Football League, all right? That is coming from someone who has witnessed this thing for almost half a century, who was introduced to this game by Johnny Unitas slapping me on the shoulder and saying, 'Son, move your ass,' in the training room.”
There may be skepticism by some when they hear Irsay talk about Luck, because it was the owner who, while trying to be optimistic, ended up giving false hope about his franchise quarterback's ability to recover from right shoulder surgery in January 2017. What was described by Irsay as a simple procedure, one that would have Luck ready for the start of the regular season, ended up having him miss the entire season.
The doubt surrounding Luck’s health will likely remain until he starts practicing, then playing in the preseason and being ready for the start of the regular season. Luck has missed 26 games over the past three seasons because of an assortment of injuries, including a lacerated kidney.
The next step in what has become a long rehabilitation process is for him to work with throwing experts in Southern California. That’s only the physical part for Luck. There’s also the mental side, which involves him learning his fourth offense since entering the NFL in 2012.
“I think pairing Josh up with Andrew, the thing I would tell the fans is, get ready for a spectacular offense,” Patriots tight end Dwayne Allen, a former Colt, told the Indianapolis Star during Super Bowl week. “Get ready. Andrew is, of course, a phenomenal player. But we all need someone to challenge us in order to get better. I think that of all the coaching candidates, Josh McDaniels would be the one to give Andrew that challenge he needs to return to the dominance he’s capable of.”
A healthy Luck paired with McDaniels could end up being something special for the Colts. McDaniels will hire an offensive coordinator, but he’ll be the one calling plays.
McDaniels' time as offensive coordinator of the Patriots was successful throughout. Tom Brady was selected to nine Pro Bowls in the 10 seasons that McDaniels was his position coach in New England. The Patriots also were ranked in the top 10 in offense seven times, including being No. 1 three times, with McDaniels as coordinator.
Luck’s absence was felt last season when the Colts finished 31st in the NFL in total offense. That won't happen next season if Luck is healthy.
The Colts have been ranked in the top three in offense only once (2014) in Luck’s first six seasons. McDaniels will help them get back to that level ... as long as his franchise quarterback is healthy.
Everybody is waiting to see if that’s going to be the case.